Certification of product, which contains the nrf24l01 module

[Zhey]

We have designed an electronics product - a PC peripheral and are looking to release it to market. It’s basically a ATSAMD21 microprocessor connected to a battery, which charges through USB-micro from a PC. The microprocessor is connected to an IMU sensor from Bosch and the radio module nrf24l01 from yourselves. No custom modifications have been made to any of these components. I can supply the detailed technical documentation of the device.

As an electronics product, which has a radio it needs to comply with The Radio Equipment Regulations 2017. I had a look at the guidance you have provided here: infocenter.nordicsemi.com/.../nwp_010.pdf. Thank you for making the effort.

I am a solo entrepreneur with very limited resources, so I was wondering if you could potentially help with the certification process. One method of compliance with the radio equipment regulations for release in the UK/Europe is to provide proof the product has been designed against the harmonised standards applicable to the product, e.g. BS EN 50566:2017 OR BS EN 50663:2017 and EN 300 328 V2.2.2 OR EN 300 440 and EN 301 489-17. Or provide proof the product is designed against similar technical requirements.

I wonder if anyone knows where I can find documentation of the radio module itself, the nrf24l01 being tested for RF exposure(safety), and radio compliance. Or against the essential requirements of the radio equipment regulations in any way?

I would be most grateful for any assistance in procuring the relevant technical communication, and any advice in how to approach this problem.

Zhey

[ovrebekk]

Hi 

In general we don't recommend starting any new designs with such an old Nordic part, but that's another discussion. 

We are happy to do a review of your schematic and layout in order to verify that the PCB design looks good, and we can also help out with antenna tuning if you don't have the facilities to do this, but at some point you will need to send your design to a test house to have it qualified. 

By helping out with the hardware review and antenna tuning in advance we are always aiming to ensure that the design is good by the time it reaches the test house, so it won't fail in their tests. 

Best regards
Torbjørn

[Zhey]

Hi Torbjorn, 

Thank you very much for answering. We started the design with this part due to stock considerations. We also wanted a part, which is supported in the arduino IDE. For a future revision of the design which parts would you recommend we should look at. In function our device is similar to a mouse, but using an IMU sensor to capture the data and sending it over the radio to a USB dongle which has the same part as a receiver.

I would appreciate any help in terms of technical review or antenna tuning. We should have most of the design finalized in the next couple weeks and be ready to move into that stage. What kind of documentation would you like me to share, for somebody to take a look? 

Zhey

[ovrebekk]

Hi Zhey

For the future I would look at one or more devices from the nRF52 series. 

This series has a range of different devices, ranging from the small and simple to the larger and more complex, depending on your application requirements. 

For a mouse type device that needs to do some sensor communication you might be able to use something like the nRF52810/nRF52811/nRF52832, while on the dongle side you can use something like the nRF52820/nRF52833 which has a built in USB interface. 

Zhey said:

I would appreciate any help in terms of technical review or antenna tuning. We should have most of the design finalized in the next couple weeks and be ready to move into that stage. What kind of documentation would you like me to share, for somebody to take a look? 

In order to do a hardware review we need the schematic files (PDF preferably) and layout files (Gerber format).

When you have this ready please open a new devzone ticket, as I don't handle hardware review cases normally. 

Best regards
Torbjørn

[Zhey]

Hi Torbjorn,

Thank you for the response. I'll definitely look at these devices for future projects!

And thank you, when the hardware is ready for review I'll share it in a new ticket.

My understanding is for CE marking (at least in the UK equivalent UKCA) you can self declare conformity, if you have the right technical documentation.

Is the nrf24l01 module CE certified? Would you be able to share/or advise where to request from the following documents:
-CE certification
-type examination / approval documentation for ETSI, or other radio standards
-test reports for the module as sold (which we can leverage, since we're not altering the module)
-other technical files, which in your experience would be required for compliance to The Radio Equipment Regulations 2017/ CE marking

It would be such a big help!

Best wishes
Zhey

[ovrebekk]

Hi Zhey

I discussed this with one of my colleagues, and the news is not good I am afraid. 

Since this chip is so old we don't have any up to date test data for it, and you would essentially have to do all the testing yourself. 

He shared an old report from a board we made based on the nRF24L01+, but this report is outdated now and won't be sufficient:
nRD24V1 ETSI 300 440.pdf

When you refer to the "nrf24l01 radio module" I assume you mean the chip, not a module?

Best regards
Torbjørn